Ball asks: Is Obama ‘the enemy from within’?

Sen. Greg Ball, chair of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, is joining the pile-on attacking President Barack Obama for approving the prisoner exchange that swapped five long-incarcerated Taliban commanders from the Guantanamo Bay facility for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who spent the past five years in the custody of the Taliban.

Question have arisen about the wisdom of the exchange — ranging from the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance to the imminent danger that allowing his capture to drag in could lead to his death.

“If it becomes certain that this ex service member was an American deserter with American blood on his hands, and this President did indeed exchange 5 Taliban terrorists for his head, than [sic] one thing is clear: President Obama is the enemy from within,” Ball writes.

Now, we’re not saying that Ball shouldn’t produce his own catchphrases as opposed to borrowing from others, but the proper phrase from the Cold War to “Star Trek” and beyond is simply “the enemy within.”

With his characteristic punctuational brio, Ball called Bergdahl’s father Bob “an anti-American, terror sympathizer” based on a Bergdahl Tweet that said “God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen.”

Ball, who recently announced he would not seek another term in the Senate, said that the sight of Obama hugging the elder Bergdahl in the Rose Garden (“cheerfully,” Ball writes) “is enough to make good Americans cry.”

Ball writes:

I call on my fellow Americans in New York and beyond to push their Congressional representatives to use all legal means available to hold this failed President accountable. This dangerous precedent was made without Congressional approval and sets a new low in negotiating with terrorists. We can only hope that this President purposefully weakened our homeland security simply to expedite the political agenda of shutting down ‘Gitmo,’ for the alternative is an evil President manipulating executive authority to put innocent Americans at risk. God bless America and may true patriots and decent elected officials, unite across party lines, to hold this reckless President completely accountable.

Casey Seiler

30 Responses

Just when you thought Republicans couldn’t go any lower, they attack Obama for freeing a US soldier held prisoner of war.
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/05/obama-bowe-bergdahl_n_5452383.html :
“I think it was important for people to understand that this is not some abstraction, this is not some political football,” Obama said. “You have a couple of parents whose kid volunteered to fight in a distant land, who they hadn’t seen in five years, and weren’t sure whether they’d ever see again. And as commander in chief of the United States armed forces, I am responsible for those kids.

“I write too many letters to folks who unfortunately don’t see their children again after fighting a war,” he said. “I make absolutely no apologies for making sure that we get back a young man to his parents, and that the American people understand that this is somebody’s child, and that we don’t condition whether or not we make the effort to try and get them back.”

I wish he would spend more time working on getting the VA budget increased, so we can give our former military people the services they need.

“This dangerous precedent was made without Congressional approval…”
When the law was passed there was a foot note indicating the white house could proceed without congressional approval, when they must act swiftly.

OK and I must be slower than Mr. Ball because I dont see any “anti-American” language in “God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen.”
I also didnt see anything referring to terrorists, but that may be because I am not wearing my glasses!

Who cares what this idiot, whose military career involved holding briefcases for generals, has to say? He’s just like Peter King–give a political hack a platform and he all of a sudden becomes an expert on national security.

I’ll have to go back through the records to see if Ball called out President Bush for directly paying American dollars to Afghanistan “warlords” to persuade them not to shoot at American troops. That, of course, would be negotiating with terrorists.

I don’t know Ball, but it still escapes most people that the President hates his country and what he thinks it stands for. As privileged as his early life was, the Pres has adopted the ideals of a victim in a racist, white society. He therefore hates it… America, and needs to destroy. And he’s doing it.

How many GITMO detainees did Bush/Cheney clear for release (and potential return to terrorism). Reliable media reports indicate more than 500. Has anyone seen the video of cranky old John McCain indicating it would be good to exchange five GITMO prisoners for Bergdahl. Sounded good to JM…until OBama did what he advised. Suddenly we have an impeachable offense from the party of obstructionists who stand for nothing but endless war and no taxes for the wealthy. That agenda will never get the Republicans back into office–so endless outrage and criticism is all we get from them. Truly sad for our nations!

Are you people kidding? Do you think he comes up with stuff like this because he is going to fade into obscurity? He is setting up for bigger and better things. But as far as the issue, anybody else think that the responses are coming too quickly, before all the facts are in? We should wait and see. But in an election year, and with a Pridential election cycle in the offing, we won’t be seeing more non-bias and factual takes on anything. They’re almost as rare as hen’s teeth anyhow. It is time to prepare the mud and slime, so the candidates are armed for the smearing wars that will only get worse as November approaches, and then go virulent after that, as the POTUS cycle moves ahead.

Deserter or not, no one gets left behind. We bring all of our solders home, period, no matter what the cost. If he was a deserter we bring him home and deal with him here. As far as exchanging him, well that was just sad. We should never have negotiated with these people. @Josho, two very different things. The people there have nothing. Paying them is not negotiating. The Taliban pays them and we simply try to pay more. They also have to provide something in return other than not shooting at us. It’s called giving them a means to survive other than working for the Taliban.

Mr. Ball: remember when Pres. Reagan took credit for ALL the hostages were set free as he was being sworn in during his First Inauguration? Pres. Obama did the right thing for only ONE hostage! Look in the mirror…now where and how did u get your late$t wardrobe…aren’t u being investigated for monies mi$$pent on wardrobe, etc.misc items…take an ethics class already…you ‘ve done nothing for your constituents…thank god you’re not running for reelection…guess u finally c the writing on the wall…
GPlanteStockade12305

Nobody cares what Ball thinks,but many care about what the soldiers who had to risk their lives to try to find him think, and above all we should care what the families of the soldiers KILLED while trying to locate this deserter think.

That group of people who know the situation best ARE NOT HAPPY with this transaction. And that says an awful lot about what a cruddy idea this was.

@joe a – you give us a good example of Republican demonization. You don’t just say you disagree with Obama, or that his actions, policies, or rhetoric are wrong.
You say he “hates America”.
Republicans keep up constant viciousness against Obama, Democrats & liberals.
And then when someone like Jared Loughner shoots a Democratic Congresswoman, Republicans deny they have any responsibility.

The reason “…it still escapes most people that the President hates his country and what he thinks it stands for…” is because it’s absurd to think such a thing and most people are rational enough to get that….

That’s right, he ran for public office and the Presidency just so he could destroy our country…

Worst president ever- and no one can be critical of his inability to manage or govern? Iran-Contra is gone- let’s talk about today- nut jobs. Impeachment is the only answer- now. Who do you think is going to pay back the 20 trillion we will owe before this moron is out of office? idiots…

And then when someone like Jared Loughner shoots a Democratic Congresswoman, Republicans deny they have any responsibility.
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I guess you never listened to anything said from 2001-2009… oh that’s right Bush deserved to be called Hitler and every other racist and biggoted thing from the left!
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Don, Obama isn’t even the worst President of the 2000?s.
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Thanks for reminding us! I forgot Clinton was in office during the 2000’s!

6 1/2 years later and we are finally back to the job level your Moronic Party obliterated under the Yahoo Bush and his deficit-financed multiple wars and deregulated financial markets….
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Seriously you posted this Casey?
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Inside out, it seems to me you forgot who was POTUS when those deregulations were passed… hint it wasn’t Bush!
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Please name the impeachable offense you believe the President has committed… I need a chuckle this afternoon…

Oh, and make sure it’s not one any of YOUR Presidents committed, already.
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A 2011 law (signed by Obama) states you have to give Congress a 30 day warning when ANY prisoner from GITMO is released… Congress found out abot the 5 terroists being released 8 hours AFTER it happened.
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I’m glad you support the release of 2 wanted war criminals!

Obama loves his country more than several right wingers posting here who want to see the country destroyed because the voters dared to elect a black man who wasn’t a right winger for President.
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And there we have it! Only 29 posts to pull the liberal race card!